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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23436529">Finally Home</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartOfTheAbyss/pseuds/HeartOfTheAbyss'>HeartOfTheAbyss</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, Beyblade</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Autumn, Bonding, Developing Friendships, Gen, Mentions of other characters - Freeform, Not Canon Compliant, One Shot, also I use both dub and original names, and the russian boys need friends too, but mostly Tala-centric?, character study of sorts, eh, probably, the teams hang out and are friends, when they're not battling and stopping assholes from wanting to control the world and stuff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 11:53:28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23436529</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartOfTheAbyss/pseuds/HeartOfTheAbyss</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Home is where your people are.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Yuri Ivanov | Tala Valkov/happiness</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Finally Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was made for the Spinning Through the Seasons! Fanzine, for the Autumn theme. I chose to write about the Russian boys and especially Tala bc I just love them and they deserved to be happy too. Anyway, hope you enjoy this!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Autumn has always been Tala’s favorite season. As much as he’s used to it, winter is harsh and unforgiving. Summer is too, in it’s own way. Spring just never seems to feel quite right; too bright, too lively, too much. But autumn... it always brings a sense of comfort with it. He can’t quite put it into words; not that he’s ever tried or been asked either.</p><p>In a sense, he knows that it would have been hard —if not impossible— to survive what he has gone through without the coldness wrapped around him like an armor. But there came a time where the ice burned too much and it brought more pain than it brought comfort. It became something to bear, not something to be proud of. And now, after years of harsh Russian winters and unforgiving living under the Abbey, Tala feels like it’s all finally melting away. Even Kai seems to have warmed over, thanks to his time away from the almost eternal cold, in the warm —if complicated— friendship that the Bladebreakers have for him.<br/>
<br/>
Tala will not admit it out loud, but he hopes Bryan, Ian, Spencer and himself can spend more time here in Japan. It’s better for all of them. He sees it in the minute details; the lessened tension, the eased tempers, their relaxed grins. The more time they spend away from their old haunts, the more alive he feels they become. Maybe they could bully Kai into buying them a small place for themselves. Just the thought of it makes him want to grin.</p><p>More astounding than their lack of harshness is the newfound friendships. Tyson is stubborn in battle, but even more so when it comes to friends. Which shouldn’t surprise Tala, considering the lengths he witnessed Tyson go for Kai, but he honestly didn’t expect the same kind of excited welcome for himself and his team. But here he is, sitting inside the Kinomiya home, eating and watching a strange gathering of perhaps too many teams talking and laughing, catching up with one another. He would have felt overwhelmed before, he thinks, back when he was being trained in the Abbey. Back when he was holding onto the biting winter. But now he laughs at something Max says and grins at him, as if this was the most natural thing in the world. As if this was something he’s done his whole life.<br/>
<br/>
Autumn, Tala thinks, has permeated his life. The strange warmth-chill in his bones feels comforting and safe, like the embrace of his wolf Wolborg. And deep, deep down, somewhere in his chest, the lasting effects of the winter slowly uncurl their cruel claws and ease away. He can’t change his past or undo the painful things he’s been through —nor the ones he’s caused—, but with this unforeseen addition to his small group of friends, he thinks he might be able to escape winter’s grasp completely one day.<br/>
<br/>
He doesn’t remember exactly where he heard or read the phrase, but it’s something that wormed its way into his mind even when he was deeply in Boris’ control. “Home is where you people are.” And of course, Tala had sneered at it at first; home was not a thing that could exist for him. Tala had always thought of home as a distant thing; something strange and not quite tangible. For as long as he could remember, he belonged nowhere, his people did not exist. He had his team, sure, but Tala was convinced they could not be a family. Not in the usual sense, anyway.</p><p>But they grew closer, building a strange trust despite their harsh training. And once Boris and Voltaire were out of the way and Kai began coming in and out of their lives, occasionally dragging him and his team into things, Tala began questioning those ideas more and more. And now–</p><p>Tala lowers his cup of tea and looks around the table bustling with people and energy. People he never thought he’d see again after their battles, let alone care for them. It’s a sight to behold. Tyson and Ian are too busy eating to do anything else other than that. Tala is squished next to Kai, ignoring his grumbling and enjoying the tea he was handed at some point of the evening. Spencer is chatting up with everyone, changing seats every once in a while. To everyone’s surprise, Brooklyn is sandwiched between Hilary and Max; he’s looking uncomfortable but he seems willing to try and make friends, as he’s talking with Hilary in quiet whispers. Rei has taken over the food making, dragging Bryan and Mariah with him to help. Tala almost can’t keep track of them all.</p><p>There’s a strange feeling in his chest. Tala still can’t quite figure out why it’s such a comforting, yet melancholic scene he’s found himself in, but it’s– it’s a nice change. It is here, in this room, that he can finally admit to himself he has found his people.<br/>
<br/>
Someone fills his cup with warm tea again and someone presses against his side, shaking with laughter. It’s almost overwhelming; a contagious sort of happiness. He finds himself smiling along even if he’s just mostly aware of what’s being said. There’s a soft exhale on his other side and he turns in time to see Kai giving him a smile. It’s such a small gesture that Tala is almost convinced it was a trick of the light, but he knows Kai’s expressions well enough to be sure it’s real.</p><p>Tala huffs and grins back, quicksilver and sharp; he’s sure that his eyes betray how much he’s been enjoying himself. But it’s ok here, there’s no need for him to keep such things to himself. Kai will rarely call him out for it anyway. His gaze wanders away from his friend and back around the room, taking it all in. </p><p>Maybe this warm chill that has steadily crept into his bones and his soul will be enough to let him face the harsh winters that may come. </p>
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